Paint containers



g- 2, 1966 0. ALMOND 3,263,803

PAINT CONTAINERS Original Filed May 24. 1962 INVENTOR.

C/l/JEL 5 ,4; Ma a 4 rroie/vs Ys.

United States Patent 3,263,803 PAINT CONTAINERS Charles Almond, 241 Stewart St., Fall River, Mass. Continuation of application Ser. No. 197,540, May 24, 1962. This application Nov. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 410,246 1 Claim. (Cl. 20615.1)

This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 197,540, filed May 24, 1962, now abandoned, and relates to a paint container for use by do-it-yourself painters.

To the do-it-yourself painter, who can put in half an hour now and three-quarters of an hour later, a problem is presented in that so much of his available time is taken up in cleaning his brushes. The paint container according to the present invention is intended to do away with the need for cleaning the brushes after each painting operation by providing the paint container with a compartment filled with a paint solvent, such as turpentine, and in which the brush is placed when the painting operation is over.

To provide a paint container with a compartment for the brush is old, and this is shown in United States Patent No. 139,869. However, this paint container does not meet the needs of the do-it-yourself painter, because the container cannot be inverted without emptying the liquid out of the brush compartment, and the paint brush rests on the ends of its bristles which is not good for the brush.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a paint container which includes a compartment in which the paint brush may be placed when not in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a paint container wherein a compartment for holding the paint brush is provided of a construction which enables the support of the side of the bristles of the paint brush with the ends thereof out of contact with the wall of the compartment and the handle of the brush is in a leaning position and resting upon the one end of the container body.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a paint container which is simple in construction, highly efiicient in action, and commercially feasible.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention Will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the paint container according to the present invention with the container in inverted position and the paint brush in storage position.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the assembly of FIGURE 1, with parts broken away and in section, illustrating the internal construction of the brush storage compartment and the paint containing compartment.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the assembly of FIGURE 1, with parts broken away and in section, in normal use position with the paint containing compartment uppermost and the brush storage compartment lowermost or on the bottom.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates generally the container according to the present invention, the container comprising an elongated open-ended hollow body 12, and a removable cover 14 which closes each of the ends of the body 12. An impervious partition member 16 extends transversely across and is secured to the "ice body 12, the member 16 being located nearer one of the ends of the body 12 than the other of the ends thereof. The partition member 16 divides the body 12 into a small compartment 18 for containing a body of paint solvent or turpentine 20, and a large compartment 22 for containing a body of paint 24.

The body 12 is shiftable between a position wherein it is upright with the large compartment 22 uppermost and the small compartment 18 lowermost, the position of FIGURE 3, and a position wherein it is upright with the small compartment 18 uppermost and the large compartment 22 lowermost, the position of FIGURES 1 and 2.

The face of the partition member 16 within the small compartment 18, FIGURE 2, is of a construction such, when the body 12 has been shifted to the position wherein it is upright with the large compartment 22 lowermost and the small compartment 18 uppermost and the cover 14 of the small compartment removed, to support the side of the bristles 25 of a paint brush 28 with the ends thereof out of contact with the wall of the compartment 18, and the handle 26 of the brush 28 in a leaning position and resting upon the one end of the body 12, as clearly shown in FIGURE 2. Specifically, the construction of the face of the partition member 16 within the small compartment 18 embodies a frustum 30 with the top of the frustum adjacent the one end of the body 12. As shown in FIGURE 2, the side of the bristles 25 is supported by the side of the frustum 30 with the ends of the bristles out of con tact with the wall of the small compartment 18.

A bail 27 is attached to the body 12, as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3, this bail serving to lift and carry the container 10.

In use, the do-it-yourself painter starts out with the container 10 in the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. He wipes the paint solvent or turpentine out of the brush 28 on the flange 32 provided on the adjacent end of the small compartment 18, places the cover 14 on the flange 32 and hammers it down to closed position. Then, he inverts the container 10 so that the small compartment 18 is lowermost and the large compartment 22 is uppermost, the position of FIGURE 3, removes the cover 14, scrapes the paint oh the underside of the cover, stirs the paint, and then proceeds to paint. When his time has run out, he replaces the cover 14, inverts the container to the position of FIGURE 2, removes the cover 14 of the small compartment 18, and places the paint brush 28 so that the side of the bristles 25 rests upon the side of the frustum 30 with the ends out of contact with the wall of the small compartment 18, and the handle 26 in a leaning position and resting upon the one end of the body 12, as clearly shown in FIGURE 2.

What is claimed is:

A container comprising an elongated open-ended hollow body, a removable cover closing each of the ends of said body, an impervious partition member extending transversely across said body and located nearer one of its ends than the other of its ends thereof and secured to said body to thereby divide the body into a small compartment adapted to contain a body of paint solvent and a large compartment adapted to contain a body of paint, said body being shiftable between a position wherein it is upright with the large compartment uppermost and the small compartment lowermost and a position wherein it is upright with the large compartment lowermost and the small compartment uppermost, the face of said partition 3 v 4 member within said small compartment being of a conbodying a frustum with the top of the frustum adjacent structionsuch, when the body has been shifted to the posithe one end of said body. tion wherein it is upright with the large compartment lowermost and the small compartment uppermost and the References Cited y the Examine! cover of the small compartment removed, to support the 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS side of the bristles of a paint brush with the ends thereof out of contact with the wall of the compartment and the 1464273 8/1923 Schopflocher 220-205 handle of the brush in a leaning position and resting upon 1744973 1/1930 Kuechenmeister 2O6 '47 X the one end of said body, the construction of the face of LOUIS M ANCENE Primary Examiner the partition member within the small compartment em- 10 

